Ello Teams Up with Threadless to Highlight Work of Established and Up-and-Coming Artists

Ello.co is a simple, ad-free social network created by a small group of artists and designers. It was originally conceived as a private social network where people could be who they want to be and connect with people they love without getting bombarded by boosted posts, data mining, and ad salesmen. But a public version of Ello has recently been built for everyone to use. As a Public Benefit Corporation, Ello has vowed to never serve ads or sell user data to make money. (A Benefit Corporation is a new kind of for-profit company in the USA that exists to produce a benefit for society as a whole — not just to make money for its investors.)

Ello recently teamed up with the Threadless design community and e-commerce site to sell t-shirts featuring the Ello logo reimagined by independent artists.

ThreadlessElloDesignThe first T-shirt in the collection was created by Chicago-based artist Chuck Anderson (aka NoPattern), a fine artist, illustrator and photographer, also well known for his commercial work. He reimagined the Ello logo with a multi-color, drip-like background. The Ello x Threadless store will also offer black-and-white T-shirts with the original Ello logo for $25.

Anderson will curate the entire Ello x Threadless collection and work with established as well as up-and-coming artists to highlight their unique work.

“What’s truly special about us teaming up with Ello is the incredible commitment to supporting the arts,” noted Jake Nickell, founder and CEO of Threadless. “Both of our companies are rooted in creativity, and together we’re making art accessible to a wider audience.”

The Ello x Threadless online store will release a new limited-edition artist-designed Ello t-shirt bimonthly. An online timer will countdown to the next available design which will appear on the first and fifteenth day of each month. Once a design has been replaced, it will not be available again.

“Ello is about freedom − freedom from advertising, freedom to be who you want to be, and freedom to create. Working with brilliant artists like Chuck is a way we support Ello’s creative community,” said Paul Budnitz, co-founder and CEO of Ello.

“When Ello and Threadless approached me about curating their t-shirt collection, I couldn’t wait to begin our collaboration,” said Anderson. “This project stands out as it allows me to engage with new and established artists and be part of their creative journey.”ThreadlessLOGO

Threadless is a creative community that makes, supports, and buys art. Thousands of people worldwide submit their designs online. Then, the community picks their favorites, which get made into t-shirts, bags, wall art, and more. When you buy from Threadless, you directly support the artist who created the design.

LINKS

Ello Threadless Store

Threadless Page on Ello

Ello: A Public Benefit Corporation

 

New POD Website Offers Printing and Fulfillment Services for T-Shirt Designers

GalloreeGalloree.com is a new print-on-demand website for graphic designers, photographers and creatives to publish, promote and sell their artwork online.

Founded the operators of tshirtcharity.com, Galloree offers a platform through which illustrators, designers, and photographers can sell their images on T-shirts, hoodies, phone cases, canvases, and prints. When an item is ordered, Galloree produces it and ships it to the customer on behalf of the creator of the image or design. There is no cost to join galloree.com.

GalloreeFulfilmentUnlike other sites that offer sellers a predetermined commission, Gallorree.com lets you set the prices for the products that have been decorated with your images. Gallorree offers low wholesale pricing for each item, enabling you to add your own mark-up. .

For example if a T-shirt has a base price of $10.00 and you want to sell the shirt for $20.00, you can make a profit of $10.00 for each shirt you sell. You can create your own unbranded store on Galloree’s website and link those stores to your existing websites or embed them on other webpages such as Facebook.

After an item has been sold Galloree handles the fulfillment and send you a payment through PayPal. .

“There are many awesome graphic artists, illustrators and photographers out there who have an inventory of amazing work that they could be selling,” said Lee Fogle, Creative Director at Galloree.com.”We want to give them the opportunity to sell their work for what they feel is a fair price — not what another person or company thinks is fair.”

LINKS

Galloree.com

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Spreadshirt Offers No-Risk Way to Sell T-Shirts Online

SpreadshirtLogoSpreadshirt is an e-commerce platform through which you can design and sell T-shirts (and other custom-printed products) that promote your brand, studio, books, events, or social causes. As of the end of 2012, individuals, teams, family groups, and organizations had set up more than 45,000 online shops on the Spreadshirt platform.

If you choose to set up shop on Spreadshirt, you can design and sell more than basic T-shirts. Spreadshirt will print more than 140 different products, including hoodies, polo shirts, pants, shorts, and accessories such as aprons, bags, backpacks, phone cases, and water bottles.

Spreadshirt’s fulfillment service handles everything from production and payment to shipping and customer service.

Because Spreadshirt offers direct-to-garment print-on-demand technology, you don’t have to order a bunch of T-shirts at once, in a mix of sizes. Your T-shirts can be produced one at a time, in the sizes and colors in which they are ordered.

Ethically Sourced Garments Support Your Brand

CAWSpreadshirtIn March, 2013, Spreadshirt took the unusual step of launching its own collection of ethically sourced imprintable clothing in Europe. Now, they are launching The Spreadshirt North America Collection.

With a choice of 10 colors and a range of styles for men, women and children, the collection is ideal for people who want to create, buy, or sell quality clothing with social responsibility at the core of production. Men’s sizes range from small to 5XL; women’s sizes range from small to 3XL.

The Spreadshirt North America Collection will be produced in Bangladesh using the highest quality products, and optimized for print-on-demand

The T-shirts and other garments are fully compliant with ethical sourcing and production (as certified by Fair Wear foundation, Confidence in Textiles, and Respect-Code.org).

On the website www.respect-code.org, you can enter the “DNA code” that is unique to each batch and trace how your T-shirts were produced — from the cotton fields through delivery to your doorstep.

Spreadshirt-Collection-info-graphic

“We are passionate about making sure our customers want to wear and use our printed products every day,” explains Philip Rooke, CEO at Spreadshirt. He said Spreadshirt decided to produce its own line of T-shirts so they could have better control over consistency of the fit, fabric, and color.

The color consistency of the manufactured garments is particularly important for T-shirts that are printed on demand using color-managed, digital workflows. Every time a third-party T-shirt supplier changes the fiber structure or pre-treatment they use during manufacturing, the changes can affect how the colors look when the T-shirt is printed. 

Spreadshirt also wanted to be less dependent on the stock levels of third-party sources of garments they offer.

Over time, The Spreadshirt Collection will be expanded with products such as long-sleeved styles, tops and accessories.

Rooke says the company has spent a lot of time developing and testing the products in the collection. He notes that while Bangladesh experienced a terrible disaster when an eight-story garment-production facility collapsed, not all factories in the country are poorly run. The garment industry in Bangladesh employs 3.5 million men and women and is helping lift the workers and their families out of poverty and into an emerging middle class with access to better schools, roads, and housing. Spreadshirt received expert advice on which manufacturers were safe and well managed. Rooke believes that while shoddy working conditions in Bangladesh must be publicized, “Supporting good manufacturers there is as important as campaigning against the bad ones.”

Get Up and Running Quickly

If you have ever thought of getting into the T-shirt business, Spreadshirt makes it easy to do so. If you already have designs or content ready to print, you can have your online T-shirt store up and running in about 30 minutes.

Rooke says some students have successfully funded their way through college by making designs and selling them through Spreadshirt: “It doesn’t matter if you’re a big celebrity, a big brand, a charity, or just someone with a few followers on YouTube, you can go into this business at no cost.”

Spreadshirt was founded in Leipzig Germany and has become a global company. Spreadshirt has headquarters in Germany and the United States and factories in North America, Germany and Poland.

LINKS

Opening Your Own Store on Spreadshirt

The Spreadshirt Collection

 About Spreadshirt

 

BlueCotton Custom Prints T-Shirts for Authors, Artists, and Design Studios

BlueCotton is an experienced provider of custom-decorated T-shirts, sweatshirts, athletic wear, hats, and other garments as well as promotional items such as tote bags, drinkwear, and notebooks.

Using an assortment of screen printing, embroidery, and digital printing equipment, they have supplied custom-decorated apparel for major brands (such as Polo Ralph Lauren, Juicy Couture, and General Motors), small-business owners, and amateur sports teams. They also print custom-designed T-shirts for individuals planning reunions, weddings, or other events.

BlueCottonTshirts

While there is no minimum order for most custom-designed products (you can even order just one!), you get better pricing when you order six or more. BlueCotton typically uses digital-printing technology for orders up to 20 items, and traditional screen printing for orders of 20 or more.

T-shirts for Authors and Artists

Through a close working relationship with the Print Mafia design studio, BlueCotton has seen how musicians and performance artists use T-shirts to promote themselves and supplement their revenues. Print Mafia reproduces their visually distinctive hand-lettered, hand-cut art on posters for rock concerts, tours, and festivals as well as tour merchandise.

According to Brad Wayland from BlueCotton, Print Mafia specializes in screen-printing their art on heavy, archival-grade paper but works with BlueCotton to produce T-shirts because “We have a vast array of sources for both high-end boutique-style shirts as well as basic tees.”

BlueCotton believes authors, photographers, and visual and performance artists can benefit by using custom-printed T-shirts either as promotional giveaways or fanwear.

BlueCottonCemetaryGirlPosterRecently, BlueCotton produced custom t-shirts for author David Bell. Bell used them during and after tours to promote his novel “Cemetery Girl” and “The Hiding Place.”

“Not only did the T-shirts look great for both books, they also proved to be one of the most popular giveaways we did,” says Bell. “Let’s face it, almost everybody likes getting a cool, well-designed T-shirt. They have a practical use–we have to wear clothes most places we go–and they are also conversation starters. People ask about the book, or the image, of the colors, and that can lead to instant connections and interest.”

Artists may want to have a few custom T-shirts printed for a gallery opening.

“Not everyone who attends a gallery opening can afford an original piece of art or even a giclee’ print, but they may certainly be able to carry home a custom t-shirt bearing an artist’s signature or mark,” says Brad Wayland. “A T-shirt embellished with the artist’s website address, a few words from the artist’s statement, and a representative image can help promote the artist and her work, and may spark a conversation that brings a collector your way.”

He points out that, “Installations or performance art events are perfect opportunities to offer custom apparel or other promotional merchandise because it enables the audience an opportunity to take away a tangible token of the experience when the art itself is not for sale.”

While digital-printing equipment has made it easier to reproduce photographs on T-shirts, many photographers still use custom T-shirts solely for branding purposes. T-shirts imprinted with the photographer’s logo are worn by the photographer as well as assistants in the studio or at art fairs or exhibitions.

If you’re a photographer, consider the extent your work can be used on promotional items such as T-shirts. Certain sizes and resolutions translate better in the screen printing process, and BlueCotton’s design team can give you tips on what types of images render the best results.

Design Your T-Shirt Online

Like many screen-printing firms, Blue Cotton regards printing as a craft. They have a natural rapport with artists and designers and strive to find creative ways to get the best possible results within the limitations of their equipment. While there are still some technical limitations as to the type of art that can be reproduced on T-shirts, the experts at Blue Cotton will advise you if the imagery that you upload to the site won’t reproduce well.

Through their online, interactive Design Studio, you can select the type of garment you would like printed, upload an image, and position the image and/or text on the garment. Images must be no larger than 5000 x 5000 pixels. They recommend uploading a 200 dpi PNG in the exact size you want the design reproduced.

As printing technology continues to improve, so does the quality of the T-shirts and imprinted designs. Whether you want to improve your branding, get your name out there, or show off your unique personality, you can show off your style and have a shirt that is an expression of who you really are.

LINKS

BlueCotton

Print Mafia